On my own in the Botanical Gardens

Pots of Color
8 x 10
oil on canvas
$175

     Anyone who knows me knows that when I paint out I usually have a group along, but today I went out to the Botanical Gardens on my own. (I probably will do a bit  more on this painting, but if I wait until then it might not get posted until next weekend.) It was a bit warm today since I didn't have much shade but I enjoyed it. I chose these pots because of their shapes and the colors of the flowers in them. (I decided to paint them last weekend when I was at the Art in the Garden Show and I think they had more blooms then.)


My subject before I took some liberties with it.

      The good thing about planting in pots is that you can add color to almost any spot . Plus it is easier to keep them watered than large beds, especially in times of drought,  like this year.

Monarch butterfly

    As I painted I noticed that there were lots of monarch butterflies flying around. I haven't seen any butterflies in quite a while. Every year the monarchs migrate across our state on their way to Mexico. It is one of the signs of fall, and something I always  look forward to, just like the long v formations of ducks and geese that will be heading south later.


Hibiscus in the center pot.

      Hibiscus are one of the plants that do so well in pots. They have large blooms and come in a variety of colors including red, yellow, pink, and peach. The bad thing about them in my opinion is that the blooms don't last very long and if you don't bring them in they will freeze in the winter. I  think there may be some now that are more hardy.


View of the garden. The best thing about this photo are the puffy white clouds. There is a chance of rain tonight!



My 101st post

Tip Toe Through The Garden
5 x 7
oil on canvas panel
$75

This weekend I went to paint in the Dallas Arboretum with my friend Olivette Hubler. I did this painting fairly quickly, then we had lunch and both started a second painting. It was a really hot day and an orange level pollution day but the gardens were beautiful and a treat to be in.

Lush flowerbeds surrounding a broad lawn.

The gardens in Dallas are on a former private estate on the shore of White Rock Lake. I was really impressed by all the blooms and the lushness of the gardens,

Part of the house from the original estate.

 This is the front of the home that sits in the middle of the gardens. I think it is sometimes opened for tours but wasn't today. There is a restaurant on the back side of this house.

Water lilies in the garden.

 The gardens are full of all sorts of water features in addition to being right near the lake. There are streams, fountains and pools. The sound of splashing water make you feel cooler even on a very hot day.

More flower beds.

A large pool on the edge of the lake.

A frog sculpture in the Arboretum.

 The gardens have many large sculptures in them that sometimes add a bit of whimsy and/or beauty. This is one of four large frogs shooting water at a ball. People are allowed to get in the water to cool off.

Beautiful crape myrtles.

Outdoor seating at the restaurant.

I had never been to the Arboretum but I will be sure to go back. There were so many things worth painting. 

The Green Garden

The Green garden
8 x 10
oil on canvas
$175

I haven't posted a finished painting in a while and I have completed several. This is the newest one. I finished painting it last week when I went back to the botanical gardens with Cecilia Robertson. It turned into a hot day but the morning was grand. I loved this scene because of all the cool shady greens, the willow and the park bench. After painting I finished up two sculptures the, crucifix and the longhorn steer and took them to the foundry. I was glad to get them out of my sculpture studio and am very much looking forward to seeing them in bronze.

Crepe Myrtles in the Garden

Crepe Myrtles in the Garden
8 x 10
oil on canvas
$150

I started this painting early last week when I went painting in the botanical gardens with my friend and fellow artist Allen Riddell. We went back and painted some more on our paintings today. There are still a few changes I need to make but I'm close enough to being done that I don't mind posting it. The mornings are nice for painting but it gets hot fast now. The crepe myrtles love the heat so there is always something to paint with color.

Another fine morning in the garden.

Summer Heat in the Garden
8 x 10
oil on linen panel
$150

I got up early this morning and went to go paint in the botanical gardens. It's supposed to be at least 102 today, so I wanted an early start. It was cool enough until about 10:00. Then the breeze ended and it got HOT. I liked this view with the darks in the background and the path leading in surrounded by flowers. It's nice to still have lots of flowers and green even in this heat, yesterday was 105.

Beyond the Garden Gates

Beyond the Garden Gate
8 x 10
oil on canvas panel
$150

     This is a painting that I began last Monday in the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens before going down to the Texas coast. I t was a very nice morning for painting outdoors.   I was joined by some of my friends including Olivette Hubler, and Sheri Jones. Many of us chose this view because we were able to paint  in   the shade.  After we finished painting all of us but Sheri , (who had to return to work) went to lunch.             

Stop and Smell the Roses



Stop and Smell the Roses
8 x 10
oil on panel
$150

    I began this painting several weeks ago when I was painting in the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens with a group of friends and fellow artists including Cecelia Robrtson, Cece Turner, Olivet Hubler, and Linda Reedy.
We got to the gardens early and enjoyed wonderful weather as we painted. The roses were especially thick and beautiful that week. We broke for lunch and ate at the Gardens Restaurant.The food was good but I have to say the service was slow. However, there was lots of interesting conversation related to art. After we painted some of my friends came back to my house for dessert.
   I'll still work  on this painting a bit more, but I was interested in capturing the big shapes and colors and minimizing or omiting the details.

Early Morning in the Garden

Early Morning in the Garden
8 x 10
oil on linen panel
$175

Yesterday, I had a great morning painting. I went to the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens at 7:00 to find a place to paint. There were blooms everywhere, it was as pretty as it was earlier in the spring. Finally I selected this location, I  liked the composition and I liked the shade that lasted all morning. I was joined by my friends Olivette Hubler, Leslie Talty, Audette Asher, and Sheri Jones. It was a perfect morning for painting and everyone produced a painting except Olivette, who produced two. At lunch time we went to the Kimbell Art Museum for lunch. Then we went to the Amon Carter museum to see the Hudson River School Exhibit and then to the Fort Worth Community Art Center to see Exhibits by our friends Ann Hardy, Claudia Davis, Jan Bateman and Shirley Kinworthy.

Morning in the Gardens

Morning in the Gardens
4 x 6
oil on canvas

I painted in the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens this morning. It was a really nice morning, not too windy or too cool. My friend Joyce painted also and got a very nice painting.

Southwest Garden

Southwest Garden
8 x 10
oil on canvas
$150

I started this painting about two weeks ago in the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens. It was a great day for painting out. My friends Olivette Hubler, Linda Reedy, Cecelia Robertson, and Cece Turner painted also. We had lunch at the Gardens Restaurant and then I invited them over for dessert afterwards. I was not finished with this painting so I worked on it a bit more yesterday and did the last work on it today. I'm pretty pleased with it now.